Ballet Strength Visits The Olympics

In front of the Basketball Stadium.

I was very fortunate this year to be able to attend the London Olympic games. My fiance, who was the coach of two BMX medalist in Beijing in 2008, had another BMX athlete competing in London so I definitely did not want to miss out. Afterall, I had witnessed first hand the hard work and dedication of a coach and his athletes, often feeling that their dreams had also become my own. It reminded me of what it took, when I was a ballet dancer, to prepare for an upcoming show. So I decided to book my flight for the big show…the Olympics!

View of the Olympic Stadium from the train.

I wasn’t going to London to be a tourist. I was going to support my fiance and his athletes which meant I had to have a job…photographer! (You know us dancers can’t just sit around on our butts!) The first few days that we were there were practice days and I was fortunate enough to be one of the few permitted into the venue to watch. It was like one big dress rehearsal with the athletes in their uniforms, performing at their best. It was so great to see all of the different countries, their athletes and staff come together for this larger than life event.

At home among other athletes in the cafeteria.

After practice we were able to check out a little more of the Olympic Park and even Athlete Village. Athlete Village reminded me of the ballet summer intensive programs that I used to attend so of course I felt right at home. Just a bunch of the best athletes living together in dorms. It was so awesome to see all of the different athletes body types and try to guess which sport they competed in. I even had a chance to check out the cafeteria which had food selections from all over the world.

At the entrance to Olympic Park.

Since athleticism was the theme being that it was the Olympics, it was only right that there were miles of walking to be done. Olympic Park covered a very large area so the walk around the park really gave me the chance to take everything in. Luckily the weather was hot with no rain showers for the three days of BMX events.

In front of Tower Bridge.

From our gorgeous hotel overlooking Tower Bridge to a fun filled time at the games, my trip to the London Olympics was an experience that I will never forget!